Ranging from humorous to heartfelt, these were the best albums released this year, according to The Phoenix staff.
Ranging from humorous to heartfelt, these were the best albums released this year, according to The Phoenix staff.
From intimate sonic memoirs to maximal pop symphonies, this year’s albums demanded attention. The Phoenix’s staff compiled a list of the new albums that dominated their listening library.
“Oblivion” by Alice Phoebe Lou — Ella Schneider
Alice Phoebe Lou’s self-produced sixth studio album “Oblivion” is an intimate and imperfect diary-like recollection projected onto listeners.
Released Oct. 24, the record is a meld of velvety vocals and soft instrumentals akin to a quiet morning.
Lou’s raw and honest lyricism is most prevalent on popular tracks “Mind Reader” and “Pretender,” forming a blissful state teeming with experimentation and painting a picture of truth with her airy guitar and light voice.
“What am I supposed to do when you give me nothing? / I can only try, but trying takes two,” Lou sings on fan-favorite track “Mind Reader.”
“Oblivion” is escapism at its finest, unbound by the shackles of genre and reminiscent of Lou’s start as a busker on the streets of Berlin.
“Lux” by Rosalía — Allison Treanor
Rising from the burning tires of 2022’s “MOTOMAMI,” Spanish pop maestra Rosalía ascended into divine light on “LUX” — a profound statement of faith and a microcosm of the human experience.
Released Nov. 7, the album spans 14 languages, innumerable locations and traverses genres so fluidly it can hardly be pinned as just one. At the center of it all is Rosalía’s singular godlike voice, clear and cutting as pure steel.
“But my heart has never been my own / I always hand it out / Take a piece of me / Keep it for when I’m away / I’ll be your relic,” Rosalía sings in Spanish on the euphoric “Reliquia.”
“LUX” is this relic, a piece of human heart given freely — a gift, a gap of light through the cracks, not soon to be forgotten by any blessed enough to receive it.
“Revengeseekerz” by Jane Remover — Kevin Stovich
“And I do whatever the fuck, ‘cause I’ve been on whatever the fuck,” electronic artist Jane Remover flaunts on closer “JRJRJR.”
Sonically dense and full of glitch, Jane Remover’s “Revengeseekerz” is 50 minutes of scuzzy, boastful bliss, fully produced and written by Jane Remover themself.
Racking up genres like they’re Pokémon, “Revengeseekerz” has something to offer for everyone, from the hysterical hip-hop of “Psychoboost,” featuring Detroit rapper Danny Brown, to “Star people” filled with jittering, distorted hyperpop and the experimental EDM ballad “Dreamflasher.”
Lyrically, Jane Remover reflects on their journey from starting as the digicore Messiah to selling out tour dates around the country, contemplating newfound fame and how it’s affected their mental health and personal relationships.
“I still bite my tongue when I let you down / Feelings and that bottle, we both underwater,” they sing on “Dancing with your eyes closed.”
Unapologetically brash, “Revengeseekerz” leaves a deep, vengeful cut on the state of contemporary music. Enveloping the listener with a wave of sound from beginning to end, there’s no escaping Jane Remover’s twisted and vehemence-filled soundscape.
“body part/s” by wet sock society — Matt Sorce
Beneath a drone of guitars and static-leaking amps, whispered words reach listeners’ ears, lingering with the fear of going unheard.
Released May 31, “body part/s” is the third record from DIY noise rock artist wet sock society, created by multimedia artist Sebastian Zakhem.
From the emotional disconnect festering in “chest” to the fevered dialogue about intimacy spat from “mouths,” the EP offers an unfiltered look at the fractures that arise when communication fails.
Many lyrics are submerged under orchestral distress, obscuring vocal clarity, yet the swelling, distorted instrumentation speaks for itself, amplifying the helplessness in Zakhem’s breath.
“Praise is impossible / For the devoutly miserable / You are alive / In a hard gnawing way,” Zakhem sings.
“Man’s Best Friend” by Sabrina Carpenter — Andrew Quinn
“Man’s Best Friend,” Sabrina Carpenter’s seventh studio album, offers 12 country-inspired, tongue-in-cheek tracks of heartbreak combined with mainstream pop sounds.
Released Aug. 29, the album has exploded in popularity across streaming services — achieving platinum record status and receiving six nominations for the 68th Annual Grammy Awards.
Featuring hit singles “Manchild” and “Tears,” the popstar’s newest album pokes fun at issues created by the male gaze, which she cleverly explains with a blend of sarcastic lyrics and sexual undertones.
“Can you lift my car with your hand? / You were an ugly kid but you’re a sexy man,” Carpenter sings in “When Did You Get Hot?”
Carpenter’s album hooks listeners from the start, introducing 38 minutes of witty wordplay and melodic bliss into the ever-changing dynamics of the music industry.
“A Wonderful Life” by Tom Odell — Caitlin Duffy
“A Wonderful Life,” Tom Odell’s seventh studio album, is a testament to the inevitable complement of falling love — learning to grieve.
Released Sept. 5, the record brings resonant piano together with rich violin solos and poignant lyricism as Odell takes listeners on his journey of what it means to live a wonderful life.
“Bury me in the churchyard where the wildflowers grow / Tell my friends I love ’em more than I sometimes show / I think the world is broken and everybody knows / It ain’t healing / And this fear we’re all feeling / Oh, it dies when we’re dreaming / ’Cause our dreams, they have meaning,” Odell sings in “Strange House.”
The album explores distressing and often taboo themes of death and eternal life — suggesting death isn’t an artifact to be feared, but rather an end to our suffering that ought to be appreciated with the same level of respect we hold for life.
“Midnight Sun” by Zara Larsson — Aaliyah Solano
“Midnight Sun” by Zara Larsson, released Sept. 26, is near pop perfection and an outlier in a genre that’s lost its way.
Best known for her 2017 hit song “Symphony,” the Swedish singer’s latest album showcases her buttery and incredible vocal register. The sexy and scandalous project deals with themes of emotional cheating, summer flings in Europe and the challenges of being a “Girl’s Girl.”
“I wanna be a girl’s girl / But what happens when a girl’s girl wants the boy? / I know that she’s my friend, but I just can’t avoid / The way I feel about you, if I had the choice / You’d be all mine,” Larsson sings in confession.
Many have attempted to capture the essence of what it means to be a pop star, but this album encapsulates it — Larsson has the voice, the dancing, the lyricism and the look.
“God Does Like Ugly” by JID — Will Nichols
JID’s fourth studio album, “God Does Like Ugly,” is a worthy followup to his 2022 magnum opus, “The Forever Story,” the rapper’s signature penmanship and flow taking center stage yet again.
Released Aug. 8, the album’s first few tracks see JID rap on familiar Atlanta trap beats before the record transitions into slower, more melodic songs.
While many of the early tracks are the album’s most memorable, none are more accomplished than JID’s collaboration with Clipse, “Community.” The song highlights all three rappers’ elite skill while also following JID’s career-long thematic focus on growing up in the hood in Atlanta.
“I’ll put a bullet in Bob the fucking Builder / ‘Fore they try and kick us out the building, what about the children?” JID raps on “Community.”
“God Does Like Ugly” is one of the best rap albums of the year and shows JID at his best as a lyricist and artist.
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